Illinois Workers Compensation Blog » Workers’ Compensation

100-year anniversary of the Cherry Coal Mine Disaster

AdamH — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:18:59 +0000

On November 13, 1909, 259 coal miners were killed in a mining disaster in Cherry, IL. This catastrophic event, 100 years ago, led to improved safety regulations and the modern Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. The Chicago Tribune ran this story on the Centennial Anniversary. More information on the disaster can be found at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library website, and on Wikipedia.

Study: Low Wage Workers Cheated Out of Wages & Pressured Into Not Filing Workers’ Compensation Claims

AdamH — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:10:16 +0000

A recent study of low wage workers in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles found that low wage workers were frequently cheated out of regular and/or overtime wages.

Further, the New York Times reported that “the researchers said one of the most surprising findings was how successful low-wage employers were in pressuring workers not to file for workers’ compensation. Only 8 percent of those who suffered serious injuries on the job filed for compensation to pay for medical care and missed days at work stemming from those injuries.”

Explosion at Copper Tubing Plant leads to a Fatality

AdamH — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:24:50 +0000

An explosion at the Mueller Copper Tube Facility in Fulton , Mississippi on July 30, 2009, resulted in a fatality. It was third fatality at the plant since 2008.

Mueller Industries has a history of safety violations.

Alexandra Berzon shines a light on Construction-Related Worker Deaths in Las Vegas

AdamH — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:16:00 +0000

Development of the Las Vegas Strip resulted in safety regulations becoming a secondary concern. Lax enforcement of safety regulations at construction sites in Las Vegas led to 12 workers deaths in 18 months. Alexandra Berzon reported on the circumstances surrounding these tragedies. Her reporting led to increased enforcement by safety agencies and no worker deaths since June 2008. For her reporting at the Las Vegas Sun, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

You can read the entire series here.

An In-Depth Look at New York State’s Workers’ Compensation System

AdamH — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:02 +0000

This is a 3-part series published in the NY Times in Spring 2009 taking an in-depth look at New York’s Workers’ Compensation system. In many ways, New York’s system reflects Illinois’.

Part 1: For Injured Workers, A Costly Legal Swamp

Part 2: Exams of Injured Workers Fuel Mutual Mistrust

Part 3: In Workplace Injury System, Ill Will on All Sides